Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by pressure on the median nerve within the carpal tunnel at the wrist. The carpal tunnel is composed of wrist bones on the back or dorsal side and the thick transverse carpal ligament volar. In between the wrist bones and the ligament are the flexor tendons and the median nerve.
Carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms include numbness and tingling in the thumb, index, middle and half of the ring digit. Other symptoms can include dropping things and pain. Treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome includes a procedure to release the transverse carpal ligament.
There are two conventional ways to perform this procedure: open and endoscopic. In the open procedure the surgeon uses a blade to cut down through the skin to cut the transverse carpal ligament. In the endoscopic procedure the surgeon makes one or two smaller incisions and inserts a device with a camera and a deployable blade to cut the transverse carpal from the underside. The endoscopic procedure avoids an incision in the palm and leads to quicker healing times as compared to the open method. These two procedures are typically preformed in an operating room with the patient sedated or asleep and with a tourniquet on the arm (to stop the blood flow to the arm) so the surgeon can see either with direct vision or with the camera.